USAC recap – June 13

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every week on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Kerckhoff 417 and are open to all students. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! YouTube channel.

Public Comment

• Daily Bruin editor in chief Mackenzie Possee told the council she was concerned over reports that Sara Zaghi, a candidate for the Associated Students UCLA Communications Board, had tried to persuade the Daily Bruin to retract articles about former USAC president Danny Siegel using a gang sign.

Agenda

• The council did not appoint Zaghi, a second-year communication studies student, to the ASUCLA Communications Board, which oversees UCLA Student Media organizations, after a vote of 2-4-4.
• The council unanimously appointed Kevin Kato, a second-year economics student, to the ASUCLA Service and Enterprises Board of Directors, which oversees ASUCLA, a multimillion dollar organization that provides student services and activities that the university does not fund.
• The council unanimously appointed Alba Karina Estrada Lopez to the Community Activities Committee, which provides funding for community service groups on campus.
• The council unanimously appointed Adrian John Jones, a third-year psychobiology student, to the Student Initiated Outreach Committee, which allocates funding for student-run outreach and access programs.
• The council unanimously appointed Bailey Rechler, a first-year political science student, to be an undergraduate representative on the University of California Student Association’s Board of Directors.
• The council unanimously appointed by consent Jose Ocampo, a third-year sociology student, to the Campus Retention Committee, which oversees the Student Retention Center and helps students from underserved communities.

Officer Reports

• USAC President Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh said meeting agendas will now be posted online on the external vice president’s Facebook page. She added the Transfer and Veteran Resource Center opened Tuesday. She also said she met with administrators to discuss how to keep student groups accountable.
• Internal Vice President Vivy Li said she set the council’s summer meeting schedule and her office has been working on a pamphlet to inform new students about USAC that could be handed out at new student orientations in the summer.
• External Vice President Chloe Pan said her office will be sending students to give public comment at the Westwood Neighborhood Council meeting Wednesday regarding the council extending its term by a year.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Divya Sharma said his office hosted a Show Your Pride with your (thumb)Print event. He added his office met with the Office of Instructional Development to discuss redesigning study and classroom spaces.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Christina Lee said she met with student groups to discuss the need for lactation spaces on campus.
• Facilities Commissioner Zahra Hajee said she met with the UCLA Office of Emergency Management to discuss creating campus safety resources, such as emergency toolboxes for student groups. She added she is working on holding an earthquake escape room event in fall quarter.
• Emma Zawacki, a third-year anthropology student who served as proxy for Financial Support Commissioner Aaron Boudaie, said his office will be meeting with the UCLA Parking Services director June 26 to discuss student commuter concerns.

Old Business

• Council members discussed their summer meeting schedule and said members must notify other members three days in advance if they cannot attend a meeting.

Announcements

• Kayla He, general representative 2, said an international student has been missing for almost a month, but this has not gathered much attention outside of the international student community.